Santa Cruz County Fire Dept. looking at service cuts

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Santa Cruz County Fire Dept. looking at service cuts

County looks to cut back fire services

Kurtis Alexander
Sentinel Staff Writer

FELTON -- Fire and emergency services likely will be scaled back for up to 30,000 households as the county braces for tough financial times.

View a slide show from the Santa Cruz Sentinel

Kyle Smith/Sentinel
Corralitos Fire Captain "Popie" Arnold (foreground) and Firefighter Dreager check equipment on one of the station's engines Feb 11. Corralitos fire station is facing possible closure due to county budget cuts.

County leaders will consider as soon as next month closing one of four county fire stations and reducing staffing during the wetter parts of the year in unincorporated areas of the county including Bonny Doon, Davenport, Summit/Loma Prieta, South Skyline and Corralitos.

"I can't quantify how much less effective we'll be," said John Ferreira, the state Cal Fire chief who oversees firefighting efforts in Santa Cruz County. "[But] we're really going to be relying on our volunteer companies."

Ferreira conceded that responses to both medical emergencies and structure fires could be compromised under cost-cutting scenarios now before the county Board of Supervisors. The situation arises as the county's contract with the state, to provide fire service where there's no fire department, becomes more expensive and local revenues aren't expected to keep up.

A proposed hike in fire-service fees put before voters in the unincorporated areas last fall, which would have raised an additional $800,000 annually, was rejected.

"Now, we can't afford the current level of service," said Gerald Dunbar, director of the county's General Services Department, who oversees the county's contract with the state.

That contract currently runs around $2.4 million a year. While the county has reserves in its fire budget to get through June, those reserves will soon expire and fire services will run in the red if reductions aren't made immediately, Dunbar said.

Whole story at: Santa Cruz Sentinel - Link

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Tuesday, February 12, 2008